Misconceptions
by PolHop
Summary: When Derek perceives a situation between Penelope and a coworker all wrong, he must deal with consequences of his terrible actions. **CO-WRITTEN WITH EVGRRL09** We own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: CO-WIRITTEN WITH EVGRRL09. This story I have had in my to do stories for months. I had a couple of chapters written and I stopped feeling as it was getting to angst filled. After talking it over with evgrrl09 she convinced me to keep going with it. So I asked her to help this story along. So we will now be writing it together (awesome right?). Warning this will be extremely angst filled.**

 **I will do my best to answer your questions not giving anything away.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Derek walked into the BAU head held high. His life was perfect; he and his Baby Girl had finally gotten together. After years of teasing, they finally made good on all their promises. Friday night he convinced her to go over to his house. He was tired of beating around the bush with her, so he planned it all out. He cooked a romantic dinner with her favorite wine. After the diner he massaged her shoulders kissing along the side of her neck, letting her know of his attentions.

He smiled at the memory; soon after he started kissing her neck they laid everything on the table. It ended in an explosive weekend that only ended early this morning when she needed to head to her apartment before work. He'd never forget the first _I love you_ she said to him.

Nothing could ruin his mood.

That was until he rounded the corner in search of her. There she was hanging over the new tech that just started. She had her hand on his arm as he threw he head back in a laugh.

 _What the fuck!_

Didn't the past weekend mean anything to her? He told her he loved her, and now here she was, all over some other guy. He felt the anger raise inside if him as he watched her grab his hand and drag him off out of view.

He pulled out his phone, texting Hotch to let him know he wouldn't be in. He quickly left the building, his heart beating hard within his chest and his ears filling with a ringing. He stormed off toward his car, rage boiling within his chest cavity.

Everyone always worried about him and his player ways. No one thought Garcia would be the one to break his heart first.

* * *

"So you really wanted to take your boyfriend on a hot air balloon ride to propose?" Penelope's eyes danced. She loved helping with romantic gestures. "But he is afraid of heights?"

"Yeah. Not a really good idea, huh?" Matt answered.

"Come with me! You and I are going to look up fun ways to propose," Penelope said, grabbing his hand to lead him to her lair. She couldn't help but want to assist her new friend with his proposal. She was so in love at this moment that she wanted to share in her happiness.

After a couple hours, her and Matt had everything planned. She was wondering where her Hot Stuff had gotten too. Normally by now he would have stopped by or called her. She wasn't worried, though. She believed everything he had told her over the weekend and assumed he was busy.

Some more time had passed, so she had gone to see Hotch after Derek ignored her calls. Hotch informed her Derek needed the day off and that he'd be in tomorrow. It wasn't like him not to tell her so she was worried and she decided she'd head right over to his place once work got out.

* * *

"You've been here for a while, now," the sultry woman said as she sat down next to Derek as he downed another beer. His heart was still torn over Penelope. How could she do this to him? How could she forget everything he had revealed to her?

"Yeah," he grunted.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She placed her hand on his thigh moving it in slow circles.

He looked down at her hand. _Why stop her_? he thought. Clearly the weekend meant nothing to Penelope, so why stop this attractive woman from taking away his pain? Inside he felt numb, like there was nothing tying him together. Penelope had always been that string inside him that kept him from unraveling, but now she had given up on him in favor of another.

He grabbed onto the woman's hand bringing it to his lips, "Sweetness, how about you and me leave this place?"

* * *

"I don't know, Em. I feel like something is wrong. I just pulled up to his apartment. I'll call you soon okay?" Penelope said right before she hung up the phone. She didn't even wait for Emily's goodbye. She was too concerned about seeing Derek.

She used her key he'd given her and made her way into the dimly lit apartment. When she didn't see him in the kitchen or living room, she headed towards his bedroom. She saw his briefcase lying on the table, and knew he was home.

 _Maybe he got sick?_ she thought, heading down the hallway where the door to the bedroom was cracked. She heard the bed creak, and she knew Derek must have been in there.

When she opened the door, though, her heart shattered. Tears flooded her eyes, and she dropped her bag on the ground. Her mouth fell open in shock. There in his bed was a naked girl with an equally naked Morgan, readying himself to enter her.

"What the fuck!" she cried, her voice coming out shrill and full of rage.

Morgan's head shot to her form in the doorway.

"How could you?" she went on, not sure whether she was filled more with rage or sorrow.

Morgan looked at her with fury in his bloodshot, drunk eyes. He rose from the bed and stalked towards her, ignoring the protesting woman in his bed. "How could _I_? I saw you talking to that new tech, rubbing his arm, and taking him with you!" he hollered drunkenly.

"The _gay_ man who asking for my help to propose to his boyfriend?" she screamed at him as she turned to leave. Watching Derek's bleary eyes go wide in realization, her heart broke to a thousand pieces. Their beautiful weekend – their love – meant nothing to him.

"Penelope, wait!" Morgan groaned, grabbing his boxers as he processed what she said to him. He had been a jealous fool, and now the love of his life was headed towards his front door.

She made it outside and into her car just as Derek appeared. She threw her car into drive, and sped off, leaving him in her wake. As she felt the tears fall from her eyes, she reached for her phone. She dialed Emily hurriedly, not thinking as she fumbled with the phone.

 _"Prentiss."_

"Em-Emily? Oh god, Em! How could he?" she cried, her glasses fogging up as she wept.

 _"Penelope what's wrong? Speak in the complete sentences,"_ Emily said.

"I…I...went to go check on him to make sure he was - he was okay!" She sobbed harder as her vision became blurry. "He was fucking another woman!"

"What?" Emily asked in disbelief. Penelope had just gotten done telling her all about her weekend with Morgan less than an hour ago. "Penelope, where are you? I'm coming to get you. You shouldn't be driving."

"I'm on- I'm on my way to your house," she cried harder.

"I just don't understand," Emily said, still in shock.

"Emily, he was on top of-"

Penelope never saw the truck that swerved into her lane.

* * *

AN: Let us know what you think! Enjoy the bumpy ride.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to everyone for your support with this story. We hope you enjoy the crazy ride.

* * *

Emily heard the crash on the other end of the phone. "Penelope?" She could hear the commotion, but Penelope wasn't saying anything. "Penelope? Are you there? Are you alright?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Emily put her cellphone on speaker and placed it on the counter, frantic. She grabbed her house phone to call Hotch. She didn't want to hang up the phone with Penelope, just in case she finally responded, but she knew she needed to get ahold of someone to help. Her fingers shook as she dialed.

 _"Hotchner."_

"Hotch, it's Emily. I think Penelope's been involved in a car accident, and I don't know where she is, and she's not responding," Emily said in a panic.

 _"Back up Emily, start from the beginning,"_ Hotch said.

"She called me crying, saying she went to Morgan's to see if he was okay, but she found him in bed with another woman. She was headed to my house when I heard the accident. She's not answering and I have no idea where she is," Emily answered, trying to keep her voice steady. She kept looking at her cellphone hoping to hear anything from Penelope.

Hotch was taken back, he couldn't believe Derek would actually cheat on Penelope. Derek had called him over the weekend to clear it with him about their relationship. He had told him that if it weren't okay he'd transfer. Derek seemed so in love when he spoke about it on the phone, something had to cause him to cheat on her and so suddenly too. But right now he didn't need to worry about that, now Penelope was hurt. _"I'll get Lynch to trace her cell so we can get her help. I'll call you right back."_

Hotch hung up with Emily and dialed Lynch, with a thousand questions running through his head. When Lynch answered, Hotch started to bark orders letting his emotions show, "Lynch, it's Hotch I need you to trace Garcia's number and get me the location and also send an ambulance."

 _"Is everything okay?"_

"Just do as I ask," Hotch demanded as he grabbed his keys and headed to his car.

Lynch was quiet for a moment, until he got the location. " _Okay I'm sending her location to you now."_

* * *

How could Morgan have been so stupid to not trust her? He instantly assumed the worst when he saw her with that guy? He should have known his Baby Girl would never do anything to hurt him. He was so distraught that the first person that showed him interest at the bar he asked to take home.

Fuck he was an idiot.

As soon as Derek got back into his apartment, he kicked the woman out, telling her never to come around him again.

He was now frantically on his way to Penelope's apartment to apologize and try to somehow fix the situation he had gotten himself into. He needed to explain to her what happened. She knew he had major trust issues. It was no excuse, but he had to try. He couldn't live without her in his life.

Normally he would have taken the back roads to her apartment but he knew getting on the highway he would get there faster. And that was his main goal right now; get to Penelope as soon as possible.

When he merged on to the highway, he saw three ambulances coming towards him sirens blaring, he could tell they were on there way somewhere bad and he hoped it wouldn't cause any traffic delays getting to Penelope's.

When he arrived, her Caddy, Ester, was nowhere to be found. He looked around for any sign of her, but when he found nothing, he opted to wait outside. About fifteen minutes of frantic pacing it donned on him that she must have gone to JJ or Emily's. He hopped back into his vehicle and drove by Emily's first. To his chagrin there was no Ester in sight when he made it to Emily's. Even Emily's car was missing.

He then drove by JJ's house and once again there were no car's there.

His heart started to race as he started to panic even more now. What if she disappeared, and he never got to apologize to her? What if he lost his chance?

He slammed his hands onto the steering wheel in frustration. Fuck, he was so stupid and insecure and now he'd probably lost the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Morgan took a deep breath. He needed to think like Penelope, where would she go if she were upset? He thought back to all of the places she had talked about or they had gone. If he had to look all night, he would.

He had to find her.

* * *

"I'm here for Penelope Garcia," Hotch said, hurrying into the Potomac General Hospital Emergency Room. He looked around for the nearest doctor, frantic to get information on his technical analyst. Lynch managed to trace Penelope's cellphone, but when Hotch had arrived at the scene she had already been taken to the hospital.

The situation had not been good. At the scene he saw Ester mangled and turned over on its side with a truck pinned up next to it. One of the police officers at the scene had told him the other drive had died on impact. The office also, informed him, he suspected it was the other driver's fault; the truck reeked of alcohol.

Striding to the nurses' station, he placed his hands on the counter. "Do you have a patient by the name of Penelope Garcia?" he demanded. "She was in a car accident."

The nurse looked up at him. "What's your relation to this person?" she asked.

Hotch flashed his badge. "I'm her boss, SSA Aaron Hotchner," he snapped. "Tell me if she's okay or not."

The nurse's eyes went wide, and she fumbled with a chart to set it down. "Let me check for you," she said, typing in the name on her computer. She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, her doctor is Dr. Hartman. Let me page him for you."

Hotch rubbed his face and nodded his thanks. He waited with anxiety for Dr. Hartman to come give him the news on Penelope. When someone approached him in scrubs and a surgical cap, he straightened up. The man extended his hand.

"I'm Dr. Ian Hartman," the doctor introduced himself. He shook Hotch's hand. "You're Ms. Garcia's boss?"

Gulping, Hotch nodded. "Yes," he said hoarsely, not liking the grim expression on the doctor's face. "What news do you have on her for me?"

Dr. Hartman crossed his arms over his chest. "Ms. Garcia is in surgery right now," he reported, his face remaining grim. "The EMTs had trouble with her on the way here; she coded several times. She lost a lot of blood and has some severe head trauma, but she's hanging in there right now."

Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. "Is she going to be okay, then?" he asked.

"Her chances are good," the doctor said. "She's got a helluva recovery ahead of her, but she's going to be just fine. Right now I have to head back to surgery, but I'll come back out with an update as soon as I can.

Hotch watched as the doctor walked away once again. The breath in his lungs slowly let out. How could this have happened just now? He could hardly believe how the course of this day had gone. Everything seemed fine this morning, and then he'd gotten the call from Emily that threw it all to hell. And this situation was only becoming worse with what Morgan had thrown into the mix.

Sinking into the nearest chair, he pulled his phone out to call Prentiss.

* * *

Morgan was frantically combing the streets, looking for any sign of Penelope. He went to all of her hangouts, and no matter where he looked, he couldn't find her. He looked at his watch. It was now quarter to nine at night. He'd been looking for her for four hours now. He drove by her house one more time. When he saw no caddy, he hit his steering wheel again in frustration. Where the hell could she have gone?

As he was nearing hopelessness in his search for her, his phone rang.

"Morgan," he growled as he rubbed his forehead tiredly.

 _"Morgan it's Hotch, I need you to come to the hospital."_

"Why?" He didn't have time for this. Right now he needed to find Penelope and get her to understand he made a mistake.

 _"It's Garcia, she was in a severe car crash. They are still in surgery, but we need you to sign some forms since you're her next of kin."_

His stomach bottomed out. "Fuck, I'm on my way."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you all for the support in this story. Warning- there is a lot of angst. This is going to be an angst filled story. We are both having a good time writing this story for all of you. We will have more updates soon. Enjoy.

* * *

Morgan ran into the hospital, after getting the call from Hotch, nearly wiping out when he rounded the corner. He saw Hotch and Prentiss talking to a Doctor, so he continued his quest over to them, "Is she okay? Why wasn't I called until right now?" he asked as he made it to the group.

The Doctor looked at him. "You must be Mr. Morgan? I'm Dr. Ian Hartman You are Ms. Garcia's next of kin, right? I need to discuss some things with you."

"Yeah, sure whatever you need," Derek said, still distracted, as he tried to piece together what was going on. He hadn't even registered the looks the team was giving him. "Is she awake?"

"She's had some complications, Mr. Morgan. She's going to have one hell of a recovery, but she will eventually be okay. She is going into surgery again, but before we do, I need to know if she is an organ donor? It's just a precautionary discussion, incase anything is to happen on the table."

"You're _not_ taking her organs, are you? Are you kidding me? She's going to be fine. You just said she way going to be fine. There is no reason to even be talking about this," Morgan said angrily.

Dr. Hartman continued to talk to him and Hotch, but it fell upon deaf ears. What If something happened to her and the last thing she saw was… oh God. This couldn't be the last thing she would remember.

"I'll come and get you when you can see her it will be about another hour, or so." Dr. Hartman said, as he turned and left them standing there.

Morgan sighed heavily, his heart racing with panic. He finally looked up at his friends, and was taken aback by their looks of disdain. "What?" he snapped. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"You and I both know why, " Hotch shot back. Prentiss had told the whole team about the phone call Penelope and her had shared right before the impacted.

"What are you talking about? She is love of my life," Morgan retorted, not registering that Hotch had hinted at knowing about the situation.

"Tell that to the woman you left in your bed," Hotch said angrily. His emotions were raw with the situation they now found themselves in. his technical analyst was lying open on a operating table while his other agent was playing dumb about his involvement.

Derek's blood ran cold. So they all knew. Somehow their knowledge of the event made the situation at the hospital all the more real. Penelope had seen him cheat on her, and what if this was the last thing she ever saw?

Morgan could see Hotch and Prentiss talking to him, but he couldn't hear any words. He could tell Hotch was angry and Prentiss was upset but he didn't care. At this moment he just needed to see her with his own eyes, and hopefully fix everything.

* * *

Garcia didn't know what was going on. Her head was killing her, and her body was in excruciating pain. She couldn't open her eyes, and she felt a tube in her throat making it hard for her to breath.

"Ms. Garcia, you need to relax for me." Dr. Hartman spoke, "You're in the hospital. You were involved in a car crash. I need to see if you can you open your eyes for me?"

She slowly opened her eyes, only to close them again as the light blinded her.

"The light is going to be rough for a couple of hours, Ms. Garcia. You've been unconscious for four days. Your lungs seem to be working better now, so I'm going to take the tube out." He walked over to the side of the bed grabbing the breathing tube in his hand, "You're going to feel a sharp pain, kind of like the wind being knocked out of you, but it will go away. Okay, three… two… one." He pulled the tube out, causing her to shoot up and cough.

"Welcome back, Ms. Garcia. You gave us quite a scare there when you wouldn't wake up. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?" Dr. Hartman asked as he moved to the end of her bed.

In a raspy voice she answered him. "I was on the phone crying to Emily. And then a truck came out of nowhere."

"Okay, try to relax, it's going to be heard to talk," he said softly, " your story follows what Ms. Prentiss told us. So I do not believe there is any memory loss. Ms. Garcia, you have had a horde of people waiting for you, would you like me to send them in?"

She thought for a moment, her chest hurt but not because of the accident. "Who is out there?" she said timidly, "I only want to see Hotch and Prentiss, please."

Dr. Hartman nodded and headed out of the room, over to the group of agents still waiting. "Well, I have some good news for you all. Ms. Garcia is awake and breathing on her own."

"Thank God," Morgan said, getting up to move to her room.

"I'm sorry, Sir, she only requested to speak with Mr. Hotchner and Ms. Prentiss." Dr. Hartman told the group.

Morgan's heart plummeted. Her not wanting to see him that only meant one thing. She remembered.

Prentiss stood up from her chair walking over to the doctor. "What does she remember?"

"Everything up in till the impact of the other vehicle," Dr. Hartman confirmed, " I did some tests with her."

Morgan froze. He had to see her and make everything right again.

"Sir, you need to sit down. Ms. Garcia requested to only speak with Ms. Prentiss and Mr. Hotchner," Dr. Hartman reiterated.

"No, she needs to understand it didn't mean anything. I was drunk," Morgan said, moving towards her room.

"Sir, you need to sit down before I call security," the doctor said, grabbing his attention.

Morgan was so distraught; he didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he needed to fix this, before it got any worse.

* * *

"Hey Garcia, how are you doing?" Hotch asked, walking into the room seeing a barely awake Penelope.

"Physically or mentally?" she asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Both," he said, honestly.

"My body hurts like hell, but that doesn't compare to how much my heart hurts right now." She felt tears well in her eyes. "Please keep him away."

"Garcia, he wants to apologize." Emily said, softly.

"No, I won't except it. You know, I should have known better than to ever let him in, I knew he would never settle down. Not only is he losing me as his girlfriend, but also his best friend. I'll never forgive him for this," she said as the tears started to spill out. She would not lower herself to be with someone that though so little of their relationship to cheat on her. She was much stronger than that.

Morgan had followed them to the room and was waiting outside. When he heard those words he lost it and burst into the room ready to plead and grovel to get her back. "Baby girl, I'm so sorry please don't say that. Oh God, I love you so much I made a mistake. I am so sorry."

Garcia refused to look at him. "Hotch, give us the room," she said firmly. I need to talk to Morgan… _alone_."

Derek watched as Prentiss and Hotch exchanged glances. He could tell they were debating it, but in the end they left the room, casting dark looks at Morgan as they passed.

As soon as their friends were out the door, Penelope lifted her eyes to look at Derek. Fury lit up her brown eyes, and she glared at him ferociously.

"Take this in, because this is the last time we're ever going to talk," she hissed. "I want nothing to do with you anymore."

He blanched at her words. "You don't mean that! Don't throw away what we have. We are meant to be!"

She laughed. "You did not just say that to me! You know what? Screw you. You threw away whatever it was we had when you said you didn't trust me enough. Instead of you talking to me like a normal relationship, you go and fuck the first woman you can find. I'm done with you..."

Morgan's heart stopped. "Wh – what do you mean?"

"Make no mistake, I'm not going anywhere, Morgan. I'll be everywhere you are. You'll forever look at me and realize what _you_ lost," she said coldly. "And when I find someone who will love me for me, and never cheat on me, I'll make sure you know every step of the way."

"Penelope, please!" Derek begged. "Don't do this. I know I fucked up, and I'm so sorry. I'll never forgive myself for it. But –"

"Have a good life, Morgan. And by good life, I really mean I hope you have a miserable life."

"Penelope –" Derek tried again, now realizing the true gravity of his mistake.

She shook her head. "How could I ever believe you loved me? Instead of trying to talk to me, you went off and screwed some chick?" She laughed bitterly. "Well, I'm never making that mistake again. You won't be coming near me anymore."

Derek shook his head, not wanting to believe what was happening. He'd almost lost her to a car accident, but now that she was well and truly alive, he was losing her to his own stupidity. "Please, Penelope," he said, his voice hoarse. "I love you."

Penelope stared at him for a long moment, but he couldn't read her at all. It wasn't until she raised her hand and pointed at the door that he realized he had lost her, likely forever.

* * *

AN: No rock throwing please. Update will be coming soon. If you have a moment let us know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4- Aftermath

_AN: Thank you for all of the continued support with this story. This is going to be a rough one, but there is a plan in place. I promise. I will try my best to answer your questions, if you happen to have any, without giving anything away. Evgrrl09 and I have been working hard on bring this story to life for you._

 _Please enjoy._

* * *

 **Five Months Later**

Morgan sat back as he watched Penelope hang all over her boyfriend. Fucking Pierce Daniels. Since that night she threw him out of the hospital room, his life had gone down hill drastically. She meant it when she told him she never wanted anything to do with him ever again. He tried countless times to apologize to her, but nothing. She was so cold to him, going as far as to call him _Agent Morgan_ when they needed to speak.

He thought he would eventually break down her walls, but that was before Agent Daniels was transferred to the BAU. He was a regular Abercrombie model. He had women fawning all over him, but he was only interested in his bubbly blonde.

Penelope had been released to half duty right about the time Daniels joined the team. Hotch thought it would be good for someone to stay back with Penelope, seeing as she was still technically recovering, and being that Daniels was new and didn't know the ropes yet, he became her right hand man, staying back and helping from the office whenever they needed it.

Morgan would have demanded Hotch let him stay behind to help Garcia if he'd known that by the time they would have gotten back from their first case Daniels and Garcia would be an item.

She was right when she had told him she would flaunt her new relationship.

She made no attempt to hide the happiness she was now feeling. God, he hated Daniels. He was always up Penelope's ass. Whenever he saw her, Daniels was right there, holding the door for her, handing her coffee, anything and everything.

Like right now, Penelope was sitting on top of Daniels desk as he was sitting in his chair almost in the _vee_ of her legs, as they joked about God knew what. All he knew was, Daniels was way to close to her _area_ for his liking. If anyone should be that close to her right now, it should have been him. He saw Daniels rubbing circles on her thigh, and every once and a while he'd let his fingers slip under the hem of her skirt. That irritated him more.

He had one weekend of pure bliss and than nothing. The feel of her under him, the taste of her skin on his lips, the rightness of himself buried inside of her, haunted him day and night.

"Morgan."

He was brought out of his thoughts as JJ entered his office. "Yeah?"

"Hotch let us out early. We all talked about going to MacLaren's for a drink. And I guess we thought we should ask you along," she stated, looking a little nervous.

That's what he had been reduced to, a second thought amongst his team. Yeah if they needed someone to break down a door they'd think of him, but if it was any social outing, he was excluded or only asked as an after thought.

That night all those months ago, he not only lost the love of his life, he also lost all respect from his team.

"Yeah, JJ. I'd like to go, " he said, glancing out to the bullpen. Maybe he could get Penelope alone for a few minutes and talk.

* * *

They had been gathered around at their normal table for quite some time now. Hotch and Rossi were discussing a case. Emily, JJ, and Reid were talking about some art show they wanted to go to and Daniels and Garcia were huddled up together in the corner sharing kisses and laughing.

Morgan was sick of it. He didn't want to be witness to the perfect happy couple anymore. He was having a horrible night.

Every time he tried to get Garcia alone to talk, Daniels would show up out of nowhere. Morgan went as far as to wait for Garcia outside the bathroom but like a fucking dog waiting for its master, Daniels showed up right on cue the second she left the bathroom.

"Hi handsome, wanna dance?" the sixth woman of the night asked him.

Morgan turned to the voice for a moment, peeling his gaze from the happy couple to let his eyes travel the stranger's body. She was beautiful, tall model like, with brunette hair. She did nothing for him. Her skin was too dark, her hair not blonde enough, and her eyes not deep enough. She wasn't Penelope.

"No, I'm here with my friends," he stated dryly.

"I've been watching you. You've barely spoken to any of them the last half hour, baby," the woman cooed.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Lady, you have absolutely nothing I want, or ever want. So why don't you high tail it back over to your desperate housewives group and leave me alone?"

The lady was taken back with Morgan's out pouring of disgust. She turned on her heel leaving in a huff.

"Wow, could you have been more of an asshole?" Prentiss asked.

Morgan shrugged his shoulders in response as he looked at his teammates.

"Anyway," Daniels started, bringing his attention back to Penelope, "I wanted this to be all planned and be a huge romantic gesture. But I honestly can't wait."

He moved to stand up pushing Penelope out of his lap, forcing her up as well. "Ask Reid, him and I work on making this perfect. We talked about all the things you liked and what you would truly deserve, but I can't go on a day longer not knowing your answer."

Morgan watched in horror as Daniels descended to one knee in front of Penelope.

"Penelope, I know we have only been together for a short time, but in that short time you have become an necessity to me. It's like I need you around to even breath. You are the most amazing person I have ever met in my life, sweetheart. You bring so much joy and happiness to me, that I know I want you with me, by my side forever." He pulled out the ring from his pocket. "Will you, Penelope Garcia, do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The world stood still for Morgan as he watched; the one woman he was ever meant to love throw herself into Daniels arms screaming, "Yes!"

* * *

 _An: There is a plan I promise!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Hellfire

**Hey guys! Evgrrl09 here. Just wanted to say I'm so glad you're liking the story. PolHop and I, are loving seeing your reactions to it, and we hope you'll hang in there with us for this angsty middle section. Thank you so much for the reviews!**

 **Warning: There is a moment at the end not for the faint of heart.**

* * *

 _The Night Before the Wedding_

Morgan couldn't stand it anymore. He had to talk to Penelope and tonight. Tomorrow she was set to marry that fucking asshole. He couldn't believe they decided to get married so fast, spouting shit like _we are meant to be_ and _why wait when you know it's right_. He growled as he picked up his whisky downing it.

How the fuck could this have gotten so bad? Penelope was meant to be with him, grow old with him, but here he was on the eve of her marrying someone else.

He threw the glass into the sink, shattering on impact. This would end tonight. He grabbed his keys and headed to her old apartment. Thank God she hadn't moved in permanently with Pierce yet. She wanted to keep wedding traditions alive or some shit.

He pounded on her door as he waited for her to answer. When she did he pushed her back into the apartment, following her in slamming the door shut.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to marry that fucking asshole tomorrow? Him, Pen. Really?" he said through clenched teeth.

She straightened herself upright after nearly falling over, "Excuse me, Agent Morgan?"

"Don't _Agent Morgan_ me, Penelope. You don't need to _agent_ someone that's been buried deep inside of you. Felt your walls clench around my dick as you came screaming _my_ name."

He watched as her eyes narrowed at him before she spoke, "I must have been the best you ever had if you can still remember it so vividly. To bad I can't say the same," she shrugged her shoulders.

Anger ran threw him. "You know damn well you and I are meant to be together. Stop playing fucking pretend with that wannabe."

"Trust me, Morgan. I never pretend anything when I'm with him. I thought after you I'd never find a lover that could bring me to my knees like you, but then…" she moaned out he next word. " _Pierce_ brings me to heaven and back so many times I couldn't even walk straight."

He stalked towards her, forcing her to back up against the wall. "Why are you lying to a profiler?"

He watched as her eyes blinked for a moment before speaking. "Tell me Agent Morgan, am I lying now when I say I fucking hate you? I hate everything that is about you. I thought you were my better half my soul mate in this otherwise shitty ass world but you weren't. You were coward ass little boy who because he was touched as a child couldn't trust anyone one. Not even the person he supposedly loved," she spat.

Her words felt like a bucket of cold water being thrown on him. He immediately stepped back, nearly falling over his feet. This was not the Penelope he knew.

"I don't give my heart away to everyone, Morgan. That weekend was the best weekend I had ever had. I gave you all of me that weekend; my heart, my mind and my body. And _you_ threw it away because of needless insecurities. Yes, needless, Morgan. You should have known I would never _ever_ do anything to break the trust of the man I love wholeheartedly."

"Penlop-"

She started moving forward forcing him backwards towards the front door, "I hate you Morgan and I never want to see you again, what you did that night was unforgivable."

He felt like the walls were caving in on him, and he quickly turned around, nearly running out of the door. He ran faster when he heard it slam shut.

* * *

With a heart full of lead, Derek shoved his way into his office at the BAU. All was quiet this late at night, and he knew he wouldn't be disturbed. In his drunken state, he let out a roar of frustration and swept everything off his desk in a fit of anger. The display of hatred toward him at Penelope's told him she still cared. Indifference, coldness would mean she completely lost her feelings for him.

But this burning, fiery rage meant something. Something he knew would still ruin his chance at a life with her. Her bringing up Buford's abuse showed she would never forgive him, even if she did love him.

Her hate would always over power her love.

He began to pace, running his hands over his face. His body became a livewire, ready to burst into flame. Nothing would calm him down. The rejection of his team, the disapproval of his mother, the pure loathing from Penelope…

He could not fix it. His life was over as he knew it, and he knew if he has to spend the rest of his days mourning the loss of the woman he loved, he would never recover. A transfer would never fix the pile of ashes his heard had crumbled to. Running away would never fix him.

Only one thing would offer him sweet solace, peace from the hell he found him in. And maybe he would go to a literal Hell for the pain he had caused his best friend. But he would rather face the fires of torment than see Penelope in the arms of another man, staring at him with enough hate to start an Armageddon.

Stumbling toward his desk, he threw himself into his chair, opening his desk drawer. At the bottom was his spare glock that he kept at the office. With shaking hands, he lifted the gun and set it on the table. The metal felt heavy in his hand, and a ringing started in his ears, deafening him. Swallowing hard, he pulled out a note pad and scribbled three words. He made sure the pad was right off to the side where it would easily be found.

Derek picked up the gun again. His hands were still now. He was ready for this, because this was all that he could do.

Without another thought, he placed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.

* * *

AN: Before you threaten to hurt us, the next chapter is done and we will be posting tomorrow or the next day. Please hang in there.


	6. Chapter 6 - Surrender

**Disclaimer: We own nothing.**

 **Evgrrl again. Thank you all so much for sticking here with PolHop and I as we take you through this painful story. Much like the last chapter, this one deals with the difficult topic of suicide. Please read with caution.**

* * *

The weather fit Penelope's mood just perfectly. Stone gray clouds floated overhead. The ground was wet from a morning rain and bitter wind stung at her cheeks, threatening to chill her to the bone. Thunder sounded from a distance, but so far, no more rain was coming. The weather might have affected her if she could feel anything, but right now all she felt was numb.

Penelope stood stone still, staring at the slab of granite in front of her. Derek had never shown up to her wedding the night after their final confrontation. She hadn't cared at that point, and she refused to think about him at all on her two-week honeymoon. But everything changed when she returned home.

Suicide was never something she would have expected to hear in the same sentence as Derek Morgan's name. But the minute she returned to the BAU, it was the first thing Hotch told her as she stepped into his office to report for work. After the words left his mouth, Penelope sat in a state of shock. She was unsure of how to react. At first she didn't believe it, but the minute she rose to her feet, she walked straight to his office.

Sure enough, the wood of his desk bore a bloodstain that would never be removed.

And then the abyss came. She felt like she was staring into a deep dark hole that she couldn't look away from. There was no way to describe how she was feeling. No one could be there for her in this; not the team, not JJ, not her new husband.

She had no idea why she felt this way, either. This man was the one who had cheated on her, who she had given every part of him to, but also, who she had loved more than anyone else on the planet. _No_ she cursed herself, he had wronged her not the other way around. His death should not have affected her like this.

But it did.

As she stared at the gravestone, she fingered the folded up piece of paper in her coat pocket. She had no idea what it said, but Hotch had handed it to her the moment he told her about Derek's death.

That was two weeks ago, and yet, she hadn't brought herself to looking at the paper. Behind her eyes were tears she had refused to shed. She had missed the funeral, and there had been no opportunity for her to come to this grave before.

Or had there been? Had she just refused to face the stone because of the horrible feelings she had raging within her?

Penelope took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. She couldn't afford to start hyperventilating at this moment because then it meant she would lose all composure, all control. She clenched her hands into tight fists in frustration. How could she be here, standing over the grave of the man who broke her heart?

Her tears continued to burn with unshed tears, and she shook her head. "Damn you, Derek!" she hissed to the stone. "This never would have happened if you had just talked to me, if you hadn't made assumptions! We would have been happy together!"

Despite her better judgment, guilt plagued her heart. Had this been because of her harsh words and the mention of Buford's abuse? She had been so mad at him for what he did to her that the words just poured out of her mouth that night. Anger still cursed her for what he had done, but she also felt anger towards herself for going so low as to say he was too cowardly to face his abuser.

"How could you do this?" she demanded. If anyone had seen her, she would certainly seem like a lunatic. But she needed to say this, she had to get the words out. "How could you make me love you, and then hurt me more than anyone ever has?" She yanked the folded piece of paper from her pocket and waved it in front of the grave. "All you left was a suicide note? That's _it_?! Did you give some bullshit reason for this?"

 _Time to find out,_ she thought with vigor. Nearly ripping the paper in half as she opened the note, she stared at the words. Her eyes went wide. The worn sheet of paper she had refused to open contained three simple words. Five simple syllables, three small words stared back at her.

 _I'm sorry Penelope._

All of the sudden, grief hit her full force. Her mouth fell open and the tears she had refused to spill leaked out of her eyes. The tears slid down her frozen cheeks. Her whole body became weightless, her head becoming light. Struggling for air, she watched as tears dripped onto the paper, causing ink to spread out the words.

Crumpling the paper in her fist, Penelope bit her lip so hard it might have bled. She covered her mouth with her gloved hand. The words pierced her heart, stopping the blood flow to her body. Her anger became consumed with the grief of losing him, of his betrayal, of his death.

She had managed to keep herself strong and hold her resolve and she never would have taken him back, but she never wanted this to happen to him. She never would have wished death upon him.

Without warning, her shield crumbled. Her legs started to shake. Squeezing her eyes shut, she choked on a sob. Eventually her legs gave out and she sank to her knees, not caring that mud was staining her pants. Sorrow overflowed from her eyes in the tears she shed, and for once since vowing to be strong, she unleashed her pain and fury over the grave of Derek Morgan.

* * *

Lingering on this earth was never something Derek imagined he would do. Yet here he was, still around after his death… _his_ suicide.

He stood behind Penelope as she wept over his grave. He wanted to touch her shoulder, to comfort her and apologize for all the pain he had caused her. But when he reached out to touch her, his hand fell through her.

There was no way to tell her how sorry he was, save for the small letter he had left her.

"I'm so sorry!" Derek shouted, even though he knew his words would never reach her ears.

"She can't hear you, you know?"

Derek's head whirled around. His mouth dropped. Before him stood his father, his own form ghostly and ethereal.

"Da – Dad?" he stuttered. His attention on Penelope shifted to his father. "What…how are you here?"

His father grimaced. "You're dead now, son," he answered. "I'm dead. We're in the same boat." He sighed. "You see that woman behind you? You see what you did to her?"

Derek looked around behind him, swallowing hard. Penelope remained on the ground, her face in her hands as her body shook with sobs. He looked back at his father. With a stiff nod, he said, "I know. It's what I did to her that made me…do… " he looked a for a brief moment, " I could never forgive myself for what I did to her. She would never take me back, and I knew I could never go through life with her hating me."

"You brought this on yourself, Derek," his father said, dead honest. "Your misconceptions of what happened brought your downfall." He pointed behind Derek toward Penelope. " _This_ is what will happen if you don't clean up your act and be the man I know you can be."

Shame filled Derek's heart, but it was followed by confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What do you mean _'this will happen'_ if I don't clean up my act?"

His father stepped closer to him and gave him a shove in the chest and Derek stumbled backward.

"Don't let her get away," his father said. "Don't make this mistake."

And before Derek could ask again what he meant, he was pushed backwards through Penelope and into his grave. He wanted to yell, but his voice was lost as he fell into darkness.


	7. Chapter 7- Epiphany

**_AN: Hey everyone! We want to say thank you for sticking with this story. Everything starts to turn around now and we hope you liked our little twist we had there. Thank you all so much for the support. Evgrrl09 and I really appreciate it. We have been working really hard to get you these last three chapters out super fast so you all wouldn't have to wonder long._**

 **We hope you enjoy this next update. :)**

* * *

Penelope sat at the edge of Morgan's hospital bed, her mind running wild with everything that had happened in the past week.

Four days. It had been four days that Morgan had been in a coma. She closed her eyes thinking about the call she had gotten from Hotch. She was waiting at her desk like normal, for her team to call with and update. When she finally got the call it wasn't one she expected. Hotch had informed her Morgan had been shot by the unsub.

Her whole world stopped after hearing those words.

She was such an idiot! Morgan and her had gotten into a huge fight before leaving for the case. She wouldn't even kiss him goodbye. And now he was lying in a coma, fighting for his life.

She cursed herself again. In the past when they had fought and he had to leave on a case, they would always make up before hand. She knew the importance of not leaving without saying goodbye or I love you. The incident with her parents had taught her that. But here she was in the same boat. She foolishly dismissed him when he came into her office before he left. She was just still so angry about the night before at the bar.

"Baby why are you glaring at me?" Derek asked his girlfriend as he made his way back to the table.

"It's nothing," she lied, as she continued to glare at him. The girl he had been dancing with was now making her way over to them. Penelope huffed as she turned in her seat just as the hussie approached. She was not going to bare witness to anything this bimbo wanted to say.

"Oh baby," the woman cooed. "I turned around and you were off the dance floor. Wanna come back and..." she whispered something in his ear that made him laugh.

"Maybe in a little, Darlin'. I need to cool down," he said.

The woman huffed and tuned leaving him there.

Derek turned to his girlfriend of six months and watched as Penelope dug through her purse, pulling out some bills to throw them on the table. She then grabbed her purse and headed right for the door.

Derek quickly followed catching up with her. "Baby, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

She turned to face him, all of the hurt and anger showing in her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you for real?" she snapped. "You don't even realize you're doing it, do you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, trying to defend himself, even though he had no idea why he needed to defend himself.

"When she came over you should have said you were with your girlfriend not maybe later Darlin'." She could feel the anger bubbling up in her. She had noticed him doing this when they went out, but she normally brushed it off. Today was the last straw. If he didn't want to be fully committed in this relationship, why even bother? "Why are we even together if you insist on keeping your options open?"

"I'm not keeping my options open, Penelope," he said, in disbelief, but that soon faded as he watched her expression change to anger. "Why are you acting so jealous?" He glared at her. "You never acted like a jealous girlfriend before. Is this how it's gonna be from now on? Am I gonna need to give you my passwords, or you gonna have Reid check in on me when we're on a case?"

"Screw you! I wouldn't have to be worried about my place in your life if you acted like a boyfriend, instead of a player," she spat. "I was right there, Derek. You could have told her you were with your girlfriend, pointed at me, pulled me over, anything to show that you were very much taken. But no, you Maybe later Darlin'ed her. Who even says Darlin'?" Her eyes narrowed at him. "I thought I meant something to you?"

"Are you saying I'm cheating on you?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm saying you keep your options open for something better to come along." She turned on her heel, hopping into her car and driving away without caring what else he had to say.

"Garcia?" Hotch asked as he made his way into the hospital room, drawing Penelope out of her memory. She averted her gaze from Morgan to Hotch briefly. "Yeah?"

Hotch sighed, she hadn't left since she made it to the hospital four days ago, as far as he knew she hadn't even eaten. He spoke softly, "you should go and get some rest, Penelope. If anything changes you'll be the first I call."

"I can't," she told him, tears pricking her eyes. "I can't leave him. I messed up so bad. I didn't tell him I love him before you all left. I was still so angry with him, and I- I-" Tears started falling.

Hotch placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze, "You didn't know this was going to happen, Penelope. No one knows when stuff like this is going to happen."

She looked up at him. "I should have known though, Hotch. I know better than to leave angry or have anything unspoken. The same thing happened with my parents and now…" she looked back at Derek lying unresponsive, "… now he might never wake up. I'll never be able to tell him I'm sorry for being jealous. I knew he loved me."

"Loves you, Penelope. Derek loves you. He's going to wake up." Hotch moved to the side of Morgan's bed. He looked down at him, his heart going out to him and Penelope.

Hotch looked back at Penelope, "I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want to come with me?" he asked hopeful she would move, but knowing there was no way she would leave Derek's side.

She shook her head no, not taking her eyes off of Derek. "Can you get me a cup?"

Hotch nodded and made his way out of the room.

Penelope pulled her chair right next to Derek's head. She took his hand, squeezing it. "Baby Boy, please wake up for me. I am so sorry I ruined what we had. I was just so jealous. I know you love me. I just really need you to wake up so I can tell you how sorry I am."

"When I got the call from Hotch my world stopped. He told me how you and Emily went in after the unsub but he had set a trap and you being the first one in fell right into his game plan. I can't believe he got to you. Part of me is so angry at you, for being so stupid and getting yourself hurt but..." she sighed."… oh god, baby, please, please wake up for me."

She put her head down onto the bed as she let the tears fall. She would do anything to have him just open his eyes.

She thought she imagined it at first. She thought that her mind was playing tricks on her. But that still didn't stop her from shooting her head up to look up at him. Then she felt it again.

There was no denying it: Derek was squeezing her hand back.

* * *

AN: So yes, everything that has happened was Derek's dream state while he was in a coma. :) More to come soon.


	8. Righting Wrongs

**AN: Thank you all for the support! Sorry this one took a little longer to get out but here it is! Evgrrl09 and I want to thank you.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

Derek could hear Penelope's muffled pleas, but he was not sure where they were coming from. His mind was whirling with everything that had happened. He remembered getting shot by the unsub, but that wasn't what was upsetting him.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could remember everything, from the pain of Penelope leaving him to his last act of desperation on her wedding day to someone that wasn't him. And then he remembered seeing his dad.

 _"Don't let her get away. Don't make this mistake."_

His eyes fluttered open after everything started coming back to him. He remembered the unsub's bullet hitting him, and the blackness that followed. Most of all he could remember the fight where she said he was keeping his options open. He moved his head slightly to see Penelope's wide eyes looking at him.

"Derek, oh god! You came back to me," she cried, tears falling.

He tried to speak, but the breathing tube was making everything difficult. He wanted nothing more than to rip the tube from his throat so he could shout his feelings to her, to bellow his apologies so the whole hospital could hear him.

"Shh, it's okay, Baby," she said. "I'm gonna go and get someone."

He grabbed onto her hand tighter, trying to convey he didn't want her leaving his side. His eyes held hurt and pain as she understood what he wanted. "I have to let someone know, Derek. They'll be able to come and get the tube out so you can talk."

He let go of her hand reluctantly as one lone tear fell from his eye. He was still alive, he hadn't killed himself and she hadn't left him to get married to some other guy. It was a horrible nightmare. But a nightmare that had a purpose. His father had been right. He needed to stop playing around.

He thought back to the fight they had outside the bar, before he left for the case. She had been so hurt after he danced with those other women. He had been foolish. He subconsciously did keep his options open like he always had, because he never thought someone would be able to fully love him. He always thought he was damaged goods, and no matter how hard he tried not to think that way, he always assumed people would end up leaving him.

He watched as a doctor and Penelope came back into the room. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Even thought it had been a dream, he never thought he would ever be able to get the image of her breaking down in front of his grave out of his head. He needed to fix this and fix it now.

But first he needed this fucking tube out of his mouth so he could right his wrongs.

"Agent Morgan, you gave us all quite a scare the past four days," the doctor said.

 _Four days. Did he just say four days?_

Derek watch Penelope's face contort with pain as the doctor moved over to the side of the bed. He didn't care what the doctor had to do or what he had to say, he wouldn't take his eyes off of Penelope.

"It looks like you are trying to breath on your own. I'm going to call the nurse in so we can take the tube out."

Finally Derek took his eyes off the only woman in the world for him to look at the doctor. He tried to nod, but found the task difficult.

About a minute or two later, two nurses came in to extract the breathing tube. "This is going to feel like someone knocked the wind out of you. You'll end up feeling a sharp pain and then a gush of air. It's all perfectly normal. You're going to cough for a few moments but try not to speak at first," the doctor instructed.

He pulled the tube out, and Derek instantly started to cough. Once it subsided, he looked at Penelope and against doctors orders her tried to speak, "Penelope," he said hoarsely almost inaudible.

She rushed over to the side of his bed, the emotions of her face scolding him, "Do you not listen? He said _not_ to talk."

He tried again. "Don't care," he rasped.

"Agent Morgan, give me a couple of minutes to evaluate you, and then you can try to speak, okay?"

Derek looked back at the doctor and nodded his head. At the same time he grabbed onto Penelope's hand refusing to let go. He had so much he needed to say to her.

About twenty minutes later, with Penelope still at his side, the doctor and nurses left. He turned to Penelope, ready to speak, but she placed a finger on his lips. "I am so sorry, Derek. I shouldn't have let my jealousy cloud my judgment. I can't believe I let you leave to go on the case without even kissing you good-"

"You better not be apologizing to me," he said in a muffled voice. He was now able to talk, but not loudly. "You have _nothing_ to apologize for. You were right. Everything you said that night was right. I was I wrong, and am idiot."

"You're not. I know you love me, and I was just so upset that night-"

"Stop it, Baby," he pleaded a little louder, "I was so stupid. I never thought anyone would ever really love me. I thought that sooner or later you would leave me after really seeing me for who I am…" He got quieter. "…the fucked up man that was molested as a child and can't fully trust anyone."

"Don't say that, Baby." Tears flooded her eyes, falling down her cheeks in rivers.

He stopped her again. "When-" He didn't know how to say this without seeming crazy. He looked into Penelope's eyes fearful, but what he saw assured him that she would never see him as crazy, and if he wanted to really take his fathers advice, he would need to fully trust her with everything, from his body to his psyche.

"I saw my dad," he started again. He was afraid to look at her, knowing she would think he was crazy, but then she shocked him.

"What did he say?"

"You don't - wait, you believe me?" he asked, shocked.

"Why wouldn't I?" She cocked her head to the side.

He shook his head. He should have known better. Of course she would believe him. She knew he would never lie to her, and she was always open with things like this.

"The doctor said it was only four days, but it was months in my head." He told her everything, not leaving out any detail. He explained that his father told him he needed to change his ways or that was what his life was destined to be.

"Oh, baby!" she cried as he finished telling her the story. She leaned forward and rested her head against him. Her tears leaked onto his chest, and she sniffled against him. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. Then he kissed the top of her head.

"Penelope I can't live without you in my life. You are the only one I ever want to be with. I never meant to hurt you. You save me from myself."

"It's the same for me, Derek. You're my world," she whispered.

"I don't want to wait. I want everything with you," he told her, pulling her as close as he could. "Marry me. Marry me right now, today."

She blinked at him. "Derek-"

"Please marry me. You are the love of my life," he begged.

"I'd be a fool to say no to you." She moved up his wounded body to kiss his lips.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," she replied, her heart in her voice.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! There is only one more chapter.


	9. Final

**AN: We want to thank all of you that have enjoyed this bumpy story. We worked hard on getting this story out the way we intended it to. So thank you all for the continued support. This well be the last chapter of Misconceptions and we hope you all have enjoyed it**

 **I need to thank** ** _evgrrl09_ for really bringing this story to life. Without her, this story would have never even graced the pages of this site. I told her my idea and instead of thinking I was crazy, she encouraged me to do it. I had one condition though; I needed her to co-write it with me. She did an amazing job; I honestly will never know how to thank her. So evgrrl09 – you truly are amazing in everyway.**

* * *

 **Two Months later**

Morgan was fixing his tie and grabbing the last minute things he needed, along with his and Penelope's bags for their three-week long honeymoon across Europe. She had told him she didn't want anything too crazy for a honeymoon, but he couldn't help himself. After he had gotten the time approved from Hotch he booked the excursion the same day, surprising her with the tickets when he got home.

"You ready to have a ball and chain?" Rossi asked, coming from the back room of Derek and Penelope's two-story ranch style home.

Derek laughed as he shook his head. "You have no idea. As long as Pen's that ball and chain, I got no complaints."

"I vaguely remember saying something like that about my first wife."

"Yeah well, Penelope's gonna be my only wife," he told him rather proud.

"We need to get a move on," Reid announced, making his way from the kitchen. "The wedding is going to start in three hours, but Penelope said all of us need to be there by 1:30 for pictures."

"Reid, relax. We know what we're doing. The church is only ten minutes away," Hotch said, entering the room. "You're so nervous. I'd guess you're the one getting married."

"Penelope told me I was in charge of getting us all there. She threatened me with wiping me off the face of the earth," Reid explained.

"She won't do that because we are ready to go," Morgan told him with a smile.

They all moved to the SUV and started their way to the church. Once they arrived, the guys started to move into the staging area before needed to get their pictures done.

"Oh, shit," Derek said. "I forgot my phone in the car. I'll be right back."

"You sure you're not running out?" Rossi joked.

Morgan turned back to Rossi with an annoyed look. "Can it, old man! Just because _you_ can't keep a wife interested doesn't mean I can't," with that he turned to walk out of the door.

After retrieving his phone he started making his way back to the church. He was looking down at the last text Penelope had sent him, describing what she planned on doing with him once she was _officially_ his wife.

He wasn't looking where he was going and ended up running right into someone. "Sorry man," Derek said as he looked up. But he soon paled when he was face to face with someone he never thought he would ever see.

"Agent Morgan, funny to see you here," the man said holding out his hand. "I'm Agent Pierce Dan-"

"Daniels," Morgan finished, almost stuttering like he had seen a ghost. How could this be possible? Pierce Denials was from his dream, not some real life person.

"You're getting married today right?" The young agent smiled. "I'm going to be helping out the BAU while you both are away."

"You're what?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah I had my interview with Agent Hotchner last week. It's funny I ran into you here. I didn't know you were getting married at this church. I live down the street."

Morgan took a deep breath trying to control his ramped up thoughts.

 _This is what will happen if you don't clean up your act and be the man I know you can be._

He cleared his throat extending his hand to finally shake the other mans hand. "It's nice to meet you, Agent Daniels. I'm sure you'll be a good asset to the team while my wife and I are away."

"Thanks. Speaking of that, shouldn't you be getting in there?" Daniels motioned his head to the church doors.

"Yeah. Have a good one," he said as he moved away from the man and headed back into the staging area.

"Whoa! Morgan, what's got you looking like you saw a ghost?" Rossi asked as Morgan made his way into the room.

He look a the older agent still not believing his eyes. "I'm fine." He moved to the back of the room pulling out his phone from his pocket.

 _Baby Girl, you are the love of my life. I am so glad you agreed to marry me today._

He waited only a few seconds before he got a reply. _I send you an explicitly dirty text and this is the response I get? You really are a gentleman, my knight in shinning armor. But we are gonna have to work on your dirty text responses._

He chuckled as he put his phone away. Just than the photographer walked into the room. "You guys ready for photos?"

"Yeah," Morgan answered. "We're ready."

* * *

Derek watched as Rossi and Penelope made their way down the isle. She was stunning. Everything he ever pictured when it came to him marrying his Baby Girl. When they reached the altar, he moved to grab her hand after Rossi kissed her cheek.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered to her.

"You don't look so bad yourself there, Handsome," she replied.

The wedding continued as planned until it reached the time for their vows. "I believe you both have written your own vows. Is that correct?" the man asked.

"Yes," Derek answered.

The officiant nodded for him to continue. Derek reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Penelope, I had this all planned out, but standing up here in front of all our family and friends, what I wrote doesn't seem like enough." He took a deep breath as he ripped up the paper.

"You are the love of my life. I know most people say those words on their wedding day, but I can honestly say no one will ever mean them as much as I mean them right now. I have been a fool for so long, first taking years to make you mine, and then, continuing to be a fool when I finally had you."

The memories of his dream, of seeing her at his grave, came crashing into his mind, causing emotion to well inside of him. His eyes became glossy as he continued to speak. "Today, I fall in love with you again, just like I will tomorrow, and the next day. You showed me what it was like to love and be loved, unconditionally. You take all the bad with the good, and continue to love me just the same. I vow from this day forward, to continue to be there for you, just like you have been there for me. We have a lot of life still to live and I know it won't always be pleasant, but as long as you're by my side I know we can get through anything."

"Derek," she whispered as the tears fell from her eyes. He leaned over and kissed her lips lightly.

The officiant cleared his throat, breaking the trance they had found themselves in. "Son, I do believe you are getting ahead of yourself there." He smiled.

"With Penelope, I'm right where I need to be."


End file.
